Agriculture

23 May 2017

Secret to cheaper food may be to copy Toyota - Dr Manoj Dora

An on-demand style of farming inspired by the Toyota car manufacturing lines of the 1950s could be the key to improving efficiency on farms, which would in turn lead to cheaper food in European supermarkets, according to Dr Manoj Dora from Brunel University London in the UK.

Researchers in Norwich, UK, are hoping to make crops more resistant to disease. Image credit: Kamoun Lab @ TSL

agriculture

18 May 2017

Can CRISPR feed the world?

As the world’s population rises, scientists want to edit the genes of potatoes and wheat to help them fight plant diseases that cause famine.

Research on finger millet crops aims to boost essential vitamins to tackle malnutrition. Credit: ‘A Scene of Ragi’ by Thamizhpparithi Maari is licenced under CC BY-SA 3.0

agriculture | open to the world | health

10 May 2017

New strains of staple crops serve up essential vitamins

More nutritious versions of staple crops could increase daily vitamin and mineral intake for millions of people with poor diets, helping to overcome undernourishment that can cause blindness, brittle bones, feeble muscles and brain damage.

Quinoa could become a staple crop for European farmers. Credit: PROTEIN2FOOD

agriculture

02 May 2017

How ancient crops could counteract climate change effects

Farmers who grow single crops are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, but now researchers are resurrecting ancient crop varieties to encourage diversity and offset the risks of extreme weather.

Half of the snappers sold in markets may actually be other types of fish. Image credit: ‘Maine Avenue Fish Market’ by Ellie Van Houtte is licenced under CC BY 2.0

environment | agriculture

22 March 2017

DNA barcoding needed to break fish black market

General fish labels like snapper, sole and seabream take away the power to accurately assess stocks and then distort fishing quotas, but by identifying individual species we could prevent illegal catches ending up on our plates.

Harvesting rubber from dandelions is a way to reduce the reliance on imports from Southeast Asia. Image credit: Pixabay/ starbright

agriculture | industry

06 March 2017

Rubber dandelions and nickel-eating flowers

Fields of yellow flowers across Europe could soon be producing a harvest of rubber and nickel for use in industry, helping to reduce reliance on imports by creating a home-grown source of raw materials.

Farmers could soon be using nematodes on a large scale to fight pests in their maize fields. Image credit E-nema GmbH, Germany

agriculture | bioeconomy | open innovation

12 October 2016

Natural enemies enlisted as troops in war on pests

From fungal spore spray to insect egg dispensers, unleashing an army of living enemies on crops to keep pests and diseases in check may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but it’s part of a more natural approach to agriculture, designed to decrease reliance on chemicals.

Semi-natural habitats such as a flower strip along a winter wheat field in the Netherlands can attract insects to eat pests or pollinate crops. Image courtesy of Professor David Kleijn.

agriculture | environment

24 May 2016

‘Ecological intensification’ swaps pesticides for biodiversity

While farmers often turn to pesticides and herbicides to get as much produce as possible from their land, there’s something new on the menu that could employ nature’s own resources instead.

The amount of sugar in grapes increases when the weather is too dry or sunny, meaning the alcohol level in wine made from these berries is above the ideal 12 to 14 % range. Image credit: Pixabay/ jill111

environment | agriculture | open innovation

11 May 2016

Climate change leaves its stain on European wine

With warmer winters and drier summers, climate change might even be having an effect on your favourite bottle of wine.

The high energy costs of producing milk and dairy products mean researchers are examining how to make the process more efficient, such as concentrating milk to reduce transport costs. Image credit: Pixabay/Pixel-Sepp

environment | agriculture

13 April 2016

Green milk – making dairy more environmentally friendly

Cow’s milk accounts for almost 3 % of global greenhouse gas emissions, but skimming the waste from dairy production in Europe could make the business much more sustainable.